Czochralski growth and Faraday rotation properties of Tb9.33(SiO4)6O2 crystals

• Tb9.33(SiO4)6O2 crystals were grown by the Czochralski method.
• Structure refinement confirms that the compound crystallizes in the hexagonal system.
• Tb9.33(SiO4)6O2 shows a higher visible transparency than Tb3Ga5O12.
• The Verdet constant of Tb9.33(SiO4)6O2 is about 2.0 times as large as that of Tb3Ga5O12.

Tb9.33(SiO4)6O2 crystals have been grown by the Czochralski technique for the first time for magneto-optical applications. Rietveld structure refinement of XRD data confirms that the compound crystallizes in the hexagonal system P63/mP63/m, with oxyapatite structure. Transmittance spectra and the Faraday rotation have been investigated, which demonstrate that Tb9.33(SiO4)6O2 crystals show a higher visible transparency and a larger Faraday rotation than Tb3Ga5O12 crystals. Tb9.33(SiO4)6O2 is therefore a promising material in particular for new magneto-optical applications in the visible-near IR wavelength region.